As a new year begins, it’s the perfect time for teachers to encourage students to reflect on their personal growth and look ahead to the future. What better way to inspire this reflection than by creating a personalized activity book? With WriteReader, teachers can guide students in crafting their own “My Year Ahead” books, an empowering project that fosters goal-setting, self-expression, and creative storytelling.
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Why create “My Year Ahead” books?
The new year is a time when we all reflect on what we’ve accomplished, learned, and hope to achieve in the future. For students, this can be a powerful exercise in cultivating self-awareness, resilience, and ambition. By creating “My Year Ahead” activity books, students can express their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the coming year.
This activity not only encourages personal growth but also offers numerous educational benefits. It reinforces the importance of goal setting, improves literacy skills, and allows students to practice the art of storytelling—giving them a voice and a sense of ownership over their own narrative.
How does WriteReader help?
WriteReader is a digital tool designed to help young learners create their own books. By combining writing, illustration, and digital storytelling, WriteReader enables students to become authors and illustrators of their own work. Here’s how it works:
- Easy-to-Use Interface: WriteReader’s intuitive platform allows students to create books by typing or dictating their stories, adding images or drawings, and recording their voices to narrate their work.
- Personalization: Students can create a unique story that reflects their goals, dreams, and experiences.
- Template to Provide Structure: Teachers can use this My Year Ahead template book as is or edit and adapt it for their own students to guide students’ writing. Note! You need to be logged in to add the template to your bookshelf.
- Increased Engagement: WriteReader’s multimedia nature, where students can combine text and visuals, keeps them motivated and engaged in learning.
How to create “My Year Ahead” books with Writereader
Discuss the importance of setting goals and reflecting on personal growth. Have a conversation about the year that has passed:
- What have they learned?
- What challenges did they overcome?
Then, introduce the idea of creating an activity book that focuses on the year ahead—where they can set personal goals, share their dreams, and reflect on how they want to grow.
Encourage students to brainstorm their ideas before they start writing:
- What are their goals for the new year?
- What are they excited about?
- What do they want to improve?
These questions can serve as a guiding prompt. You can also ask them to include drawings or images that represent their dreams for the future.
Students can begin writing their stories in WriteReader. They can create books from scratch, or teachers can share this template to help guide their stories.
Once the books are complete, students can share them with their peers, teachers, and families. They can do this in various ways, such as printing the books, sharing them digitally, or presenting them in front of the class. Sharing their goals reinforces a sense of accountability and excitement about their aspirations.
Empowering purpose and direction for the year to come
Creating “My Year Ahead” activity books empowers students by encouraging self-reflection and goal-setting. WriteReader’s interactive features enhance the storytelling process, providing an engaging and meaningful way for students to set intentions for their personal and academic growth.
As educators, we are privileged to guide students through this process, helping them see that the power to shape their future lies within themselves. So, as we ring in the new year, let’s encourage our students to dream big, set goals, and, most importantly, share their stories with the world.
